The Vancouver Canucks are approaching Friday’s trade deadline with a balanced strategy, neither fully buying nor selling as they stay in playoff contention.
According to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, the team is considering moves involving pending unrestricted free agents, including Brock Boeser, but has no plans to trade core players with contracts extending beyond this season. Drance described their approach as a “hybrid” strategy.
“As a seller, the club is open to moving its pending unrestricted free agents-provided the returns are sufficiently enticing,” Drance reported.
The Canucks are not looking to accept just any offer, as their position in the standings keeps retaining key players a viable option. With 65 points—tied with the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card spot—they remain within reach of the playoffs.
On the buying side, if a trade happens, Vancouver plans to use any acquired assets to bring in younger players with term, aligning with their long-term roster strategy, according to Drance.
“As a buyer, the club is exclusively showing interest in younger players, ideally in the mid-20s age range, that have term remaining on their deal.”
Boeser’s future remains a key talking point, with his situation still unresolved as contract negotiations have reached a standstill.
“With the clock ticking toward (Friday’s deadline), there remains a material disagreement between the two sides on price,” Drance noted.
Boeser is seeking a long-term contract that reflects his 40-goal performance last season, but the Canucks remain reluctant to meet his demands, according to Drance.
Meanwhile, Rick Dhaliwal reported on Monday’s episode of Donnie & Dhali that the forward is growing increasingly frustrated with the situation.
A league source told Drance that interest in Boeser on the trade market has been “lukewarm,” making a deal unlikely unless a team meets Vancouver’s asking price.
“The Canucks aren’t going to be willing to sell a key offensive cog like Boeser at below what they see as his market value, especially not when they’re in the thick of a playoff chase,” Drance wrote.
‘I’m his number one believer’ — Canucks star talks Elias Pettersson
Jake DeBrusk has noticed your online criticism of Elias Pettersson.
“People are on social media and I see a good amount,” said DeBrusk after Tuesday’s practice. “They can have their opinions but I don’t think anybody cares more than Petey.”
It’s been a challenging season for Pettersson, to say the least. In the first year of his eight-year contract with an $11.6 million cap hit, his production has dropped significantly. With just 11 goals and 35 points in 54 games, he’s on pace to finish well below his 102-point season from two years ago.
DeBrusk can relate to Pettersson’s struggles, though he was quick to acknowledge that he’s not on the same level.
“This league humbles anybody,” said DeBrusk. “I went through a situation in the COVID year where I scored five goals in 41 games. I learned how to get out of it and it’s how you learn as a pro. You’ve just got to work through it and that’s something Petey’s always done since I’ve been here: he always works his ass off in practice.”
DeBrusk believes in Pettersson’s ability to bounce back, trusting his work ethic—even though he wasn’t around to witness Pettersson at his peak.
“As a teammate, I believe in him,” said DeBrusk. “I haven’t seen the other side yet of what he expects, what people expect, but I’ve seen him working to get there.”
DeBrusk committed to the Canucks with a seven-year contract this past offseason—a long-term investment by the team and a personal stake for DeBrusk, who now has a strong interest in seeing Pettersson regain his form and thrive.
“Honestly, that’s probably the biggest reason I came here was to play with him or play on the same team as him,” said DeBrusk. “So, I’m his number one believer.”
As Robert Frost famously said, “The best way out is always through.” Pettersson understands that his only option is to push through his struggles and fight his way back to form.
“I’m not perfect — I wish I was perfect — so I’m just trying to grow every day and be a better player,” said Pettersson, adding, “I want to turn it around more than anyone.”
On Tuesday, Pettersson admitted he hasn’t performed at his best and clarified a previous comment about the media, apologizing for any misunderstanding that made it seem like he was blaming them for his struggles.
“I missed a breakaway, and I got asked about it and how frustrating the season has been,” said Pettersson. “I guess I was really, really mad at that moment and I said something I didn’t mean. I said media’s annoying — some days it can be — but it’s the last thing that’s making me play bad or not myself this year.”
“I mean, I’ll just be honest: I haven’t been the way I want to be this year,” he said. “I haven’t played to the expectations I have on myself or the franchise has on me, I’ll be the first one to tell you. But that’s in the past. I just want to take these last 22 games — plus more, hopefully — and play my best hockey.
“I wish we had more wins, I wish I had played a lot better, but I can’t dwell on that anymore. Just trying to look ahead.”
That’s exactly what head coach Rick Tocchet wants as the Canucks push toward the playoffs—focus on the future and leave the past behind.
“The way I look at it, if he has a good 22 games for us, we might all forget about the 60 games this year,” said Tocchet. “I’ve seen players have just average years and then have great playoffs, and that guy that has a great playoff…he reaps rewards because of that.
“So, don’t waste games. He’s got enough time to turn this thing around and help this team get where they want to get.”
Their goal isn’t just to make the playoffs—it’s to go on a deep run. Despite their struggles this season, the Canucks remain in the hunt, tied with the Calgary Flames at 65 points for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Given the ups and downs both on and off the ice, it’s surprising they’re still in contention. DeBrusk admitted that the season has been mentally challenging.
“It’s been a lot this year for everybody,” said DeBrusk. “Obviously, we’re all human and I don’t think there’s anybody that’s harder on himself than [Pettersson].”
DeBrusk praised Pettersson for staying committed defensively despite his offensive struggles, noting that he ranks among the top ten NHL forwards in blocked shots. However, he added that he’d rather see their team forcing opponents to block more shots instead.
“It’s not like he’s floating around out there and expecting something to happen, which, I will admit, I probably was doing when I was going through my own stretch,” said DeBrusk. “He’s battling. I think his wingers — including, well, me — could do a better job of blocking shots so they don’t get to him. So, thanks Petey!”
Tocchet agreed, noting that getting opponents to block more shots wouldn’t be a bad thing—at least not for the Canucks.
“You might have a stick in front of you and maybe one shin pad — shoot it by it. Like, who cares?” said Tocchet. “Nobody’s going to give you the whole lane. Just shoot the puck and, you know what, he’s got a hard shot. I hate to say it: hurt somebody.
“The guy wants to block, it’s going to hurt. And then maybe the next time, the guy won’t block it. That’s the attitude you have to have.”
Pettersson, who didn’t register a single shot on goal against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, understands he needs to be more aggressive in getting pucks to the net.
“I’ve always been a pass-first guy but I also have a good shot, so I should use it more, yes,” said Pettersson. “But it’s definitely been maybe just not trusting it — hopefully, that’s not a headline. I’ll definitely look to shoot more moving forward.”
Saying it is easy; following through is the real challenge. Pettersson has an opportunity to reshape his 2024-25 season in these final games, but he also risks reinforcing the doubts of his critics.
“Hopefully, he comes out of it for us,” said Tocchet. “He’s a great kid.”
